Three-minute Thesis Competition

Thanks to a generous sponsorship from the National Institute of Social Sciences, we are able to offer prizes for a juried competition in which graduate students who have completed (or expect to complete) their Master’s thesis or doctoral dissertation in the 2022-23 academic year will be given a chance to summarize their project in three minutes.

Last year, the grand prize ($400) went to Stephanie Jacobs for “Nature is my Higher Power: Ontological ‘Prospecting’ in Addiction-Recovery.” First runner up ($200) went to Dustin Reuther for “Dulac-You-Wanna: Cultural Heritage and Subsiding Ecologies in Louisiana’s Coastal Marsh.” The second runner-up ($100) went to Justin Haruyama for “Mining for Coal and Souls: Modes of Relationality in Emerging Chinese-Zambian Worlds.”

AAA judging criteria:

  • The presentation must be understandable for a general audience, as jurors will be journalists expecting an appropriate angle for a feature news story. We will be adhering to the University of Queensland rules for this competition.
  • Make sure to introduce yourself (name, affiliation, accessibility description … e.g. white male with brown hair and wearing black-framed glasses). This will not be part of the time limit.

Comprehension and content – To what extent:

  • Did the presentation provide an understanding of the background and significance to the research question being addressed, while explaining terminology and avoiding jargon?
  • Did the presentation clearly describe the impact and/or results of the research, including conclusions and outcomes?
  • Was the thesis topic, research significance, results/impact and outcomes communicated in language appropriate to a non-specialist audience?

Engagement and communication – To what extent:

  • Did the presentation make the audience want to know more?
  • Did the presenter convey enthusiasm for their research?
  • Did the PowerPoint slide (restricted to a single slide) enhance the presentation – was it clear, legible, and concise?

Submit a link to your video using this form by September 30. 

Questions?

Contact Jeff Martin, director of communications & public affairs at jmartin at americananthro dot org.